The Last Leaf To Fall
by OvercookedNoodles
Summary: When Alfred is diagnosed with cancer, Arthur does everything he can to cherish the last moments. But will it be enough?


here it is. oh and btw i had to google the medical conditions cuz im not a nurse and i dont know shit. and if its medically inaccurate, then... well, sue me. XD

the time lapse on the condition probably is WAY off. just... ignore my stupidity. XDDD

The Last Leaf to Fall

"Alright. I'll run a diagnosis and see what's happening.", the doctor said.

Arthur nodded slowly and Alfred just sat there, hands in his lap, fixated on the doctor. The doctor left the room and Alfred let out a heavy sigh.

"Alfred...", Arthur began, closing his eyes, trying to fight unwanted tears. Alfred turned towards his boyfriend and took his hands in his own.

"Look, Arthur. We can only hope for the best at this point, okay babe? Maybe its just a little bacteria or fever or something. It's going to be fine."

His voice was promising but his eyes screamed terror and uncertainty. The rest of his face was stolid. His lips gave away nothing. He had nothing else to say. He couldn't lie to Arthur, telling him that everything was going to be alight, even though it really wasn't. And he CERTAINLY wouldn't show any signs of anxiety or fear. No. If there was a time to be the hero and act strong in front of Arthur, then THIS was the time.

Because Alfred was dying.

It all began about a month earlier, on a early Thursday morning in London. Alfred was visiting his boyfriend for a few weeks. He remembered waking up with abdominal pain on his upper right side, which was very unusual. Arthur said that it was probably just from horsing around too much and that it was nothing to worry about. But, as the day went on, the pain increased to an unbearable stage where Alfred couldn't even stand straight. Along with that, he also was growing weak and by mid-morning a huge wave of fatigue hit him like a slingshot. All he wanted to do was sleep. By noon, his temperature was at 110 F and he had already puked 8 times in less than an hour. Whenever he would take a piss, he noticed that the color was darker than normal. When he wouldn't even touch his burger, Arthur finally put his foot down and took Alfred to the doctor (despite Alfred's weak protests, saying that it was just a fever, which he had, too.) Alfred was DEFINITELY not ok. The doctor looked him over and told them that it could be something serious. He took a urine sample and told Alfred to stay on bedrest until the results came back. And if the symptoms worsened or if more appeared before the tests came back, then they should immediately go to the hospital. So, Alfred did just that. The symptoms didn't get any worse, but they didn't get any better, either. His fever persisted and he seldom ate. His weight dropped significantly by three weeks, and it wasn't just from the insufficient eating. He went from 180 lbs. to 130 lbs. The results STILL were not in. What the fuck was taking so long? By four weeks, Alfred would eat every other day, and his meals were quite puny, because he would always claim that he was full... even after just a few bites. His meals consisted of a few crackers (which were usually left untouched) and a VERY small glass of water. In addition, his skin became extremely itchy. He said it was only eczema, but that wasn't even logical at this point. Arthur had begged him to go to the hospital, , but Alfred refused, protesting that he was going to wait until the tests came back. His symptoms were not only persisting, but they were now increasing as well. Arthur drew the line when he began to see that Alfred was turning somewhat yellow and his veins were becoming visible. So, here they were. Sitting in a hospital room, waiting to hear what they had been waiting to hear from those damn lab results that never came. They sat for a long time, just staring painfully at one another. Emotions were terminated and the atmosphere was tense and very readable. Finally, after what seemed like hours, the doctor came in. He had a painstaking and grim look on his face.

Shit...

"Mr. Jones, I'm afraid I have some very dark news for you."

With their faces drained, the two stood up to face him. Arthur was trembling. Alfred stood as still as a statue, his face blank and emotions dead. He braced himself for whatever he was going to hear next.

"Mr. Jones... you have... liver cancer."

The news hit the couple right in the gut.

Alfred went stark white (if it was even possible, since he was already white as a ghost) and ice cold. He went numb like THAT. Sweat beaded his body. For a minute, he had to command himself to keep breathing, since it seemed like all of the breath was stolen from him. He felt his body shut down and his world cave it. Courage left him and his brain went insane. He was trying to process all what he had heard. He knew he was in bad shape, but he didn't know it was THIS serious.

Arthur wasn't too put together himself. Tears streamed down his face. He, too, went numb. He tightened his grip on his lover's arm. His legs felt like they were going to collapse from below him at any second. His thought process went dead. His mouth went dry and his throat felt like it was incinerating.

"Wh-what?", Alfred replied, almost speechless.

"By the looks of it, it got WAY out of control. How long have you had these symptoms?"

"About a month."

"JESUS! No wonder! And you said that you were waiting for the results for the majority of these last two months?"

"…Yes."

"Oh, well… you see… your cancer is now terminal."

That shook both Alfred and Arthur to the bone.

"We have determined that you have only about another month to live. You see, the cancer started fast and has now spread throughout your entire body. This cancer is one of the most deadly and most quick ones. We're not sure how you got it…but… you do. You see, it COULD have been treated if you received the tests earlier."

This is where Arthur completely lost it. He buried himself in Alfred and completely broke down. Alfred, on the other hand, was dumbstruck. No emotion.

"Is…there…. anything I can do…?"

"No… I'm terribly sorry. You're too far along for chemo, meds, treatment, or anything else. Again, I'm extremely sorry."

No movement from Alfred. He couldn't process anything at this point. Arthur was holding onto him with all of his might, as if it was going to keep Alfred from dying.

"Ummm… I'll leave you two alone then."

All Alfred could do was just stare blankly as Arthur cried all over him.

This was it.

Alfred's life had been suddenly halted by an unexpected twist.

He didn't know what to do. He was unresponsive to his boyfriend's fit. Alfred snapped out of his deep thought process and slowly wrapped his arms around Arthur. He held him close. He could feel Arthur shaking as he sobbed into Alfred's chest.

"Come on," Alfred said, after a while. "Let's go home."

There was pin drop silence the entire ride back to Arthur's. Alfred stared out the window as his head leaned against it. Rain poured down on the little English town. He counted the little droplets, while sorting the thoughts that he had seemed to salvage. Arthur stared straight ahead; his eyes set on the road as he drove. He was slouching a bit, which he only did during times of severe depression and/or stress. When they finally got to his house, the couple gradually got out of the car and slowly walked to the door, ignoring the pouring rain. When they got in, Alfred collapsed onto the couch, resting his hand on his forehead. He didn't have much energy as it was, so it seemed fine for the small drama. Arthur walked over to the couch and crouched down next to him. He tucked a lock of hair behind Alfred's ear.

"What next?" he asked him.

"…I'm not sure…"

Arthur placed a kiss upon Alfred's sweaty and dead cold nose.

"Alfred… I just want you to know… that I will be here for you, even after the end."

"Thank you. You don't know how much that means to me."

"Hey… you're my boyfriend. I want to make you happy. Plus, you would do the same."

"Yeah, yeah I would."

"Because even when you're in this condition that you're in and you look the way you do and what little time you have on this earth… I _STILL_ love you. I'll never stop loving you."

Alfred smiled for the first time in over a month. He pulled Arthur in for an awkward hug.

"I love you too, baby.

A month passed by. The two did anything and everything they could to live up Alfred's final moments. Even if it wasn't Arthur's first choice, he went along to not only to make Alfred happy but to spend every last waking moment with him (aside from the fact that he was his lover and it was just the thing to do).

But now, that was all over. The jubilations were laid to rest. Now, it was a time for sorrow. All of their friends were in Alfred's room. Matthew was crying over Alfred with Francis comforting Matt. Everyone was saying their last goodbyes. Arthur was standing by the window, just staring out at the passing cars. Kiku walked over to him and placed a hand on his shoulder.

"Are you okay?"

"…No. No, I'm not."

"I'm sorry. This must be very hard."

"You have no idea"

"I know. I don't. But, if you need anything, you know how to reach me."

Arthur slowly nodded as his friend walked away.

About an hour later, most guests had already gone home. The only remaining ones were Arthur, Matthew, and Francis.

"Hey guys, can I have a moment with Arthur?", Alfred said weakly.

Francis and Matthew nodded and walked out, holding onto each other.

Arthur walked over to Alfred's side.

"So…" Arthur said

"So…."

A long and heartbreaking pause rang.

"You have my will, right?"

Arthur nodded slowly.

"Basically, everything is yours. My homes, my stuff, my money… it's all yours. But Niagara Falls goes to Matthew. He'll be happy to share it with you, though."

Arthur nodded slowly again, before kneeling down. Alfred took Arthur's hand in his. His weight was now 110 lbs. His hands were no longer the strong hands that once held Arthur tight. No… now, his hands were skinny, weak and cold, trembling from the severe pain. Ever since Alfred began to develop symptoms that made Alfred weak, Arthur started to die inside. It killed him to see the boy he once save crumble apart.

"Arthur?"

"Yeah?"

"I-I'm so glad... that I met you."

"Me, too."

Alfred began coughing, and blood came up. It tore Arthur apart even more.

"You know, no day is certain.", he continued, wiping the blood from his mouth. "That's why you have to live every day to the fullest. And I don't know how else I could have spent these last few to the best than with you."

This made Arthur break down.

"Arthur… please… don't cry."

"I CAN'T, YOU GIT!"

"Arthur… listen to me…"

Arthur got quiet.

"Don't let my death stop you from living. I want you to go on and live it up. I want you to find someone special, fall in love with them, and never let them go."

"I-I-I… I can't…"

"Yes you can. You're better than that. I know you. Now, I want you to live, laugh, and above all, love. Keep me in your memories, but don't obsess over me. You have so much to give. You're going to live a long and happy life, okay?"

All Arthur could do was silently cry.

"Listen, I'll be waiting for you in heaven. And if I become a ghost, then I promise that I'll stay with you. And even if I don't, then I still will always be with you."

He used a good amount of energy jus to lift his pinky up.

Finally, Arthur completely lost it. Every tear, every emotion, every bit of restraint that was holding him back from breaking down, just came out. Alfred did that all the time when he was younger. He slowly wrapped his pinky around Alfred's. Alfred brought Arthur's hand to his lips and kissed it. Then, he lowered their hands, not letting go. His grip was weak, but he could still hold on.

"Hey, Arthur…"

"Yeah?"

"You know that saying 'if I had to choose between loving you and breathing, I would use my last breath to tell you that I love you'?"

Arthur nodded.

Alfred smiled for the last time.

"Well… I love you."

And with that, his eyes slowly closed and his hand let go of Arthur's, also slowly.

"You idiot…" he whispered. Then, he broke down again.

This was the que for Francis and Matthew to come in. They did and all mourned together.

Everyone attended Alfred's wake, funeral, and burial. Arthur was the last the leave the graveyard. He promised Alfred (or rather, his tombstone), that he would try to visit frequently or whenever he just wanted to talk to Alfred.

7 months later…

Arthur pulled up to the graveyard and walked up to Alfred's grave, flowers in hand.

"Hey baby. It's me again. Yeah, I know. I visit a lot, but I have some exciting news… Francis and Matthew are getting married! Yes, it really is splendid! I hear Francis proposed in a very cute way. I'm sure you're VERY proud of little Matthew!

2 months after that…

"Alfred, I finally found somebody! It's Scotland. I think he's had an eye on me for a while now. You were right. I DO have to move on. It's not as easy as it seems, but I'm handling. I hope you like all the things that I've been giving you. The flowers cost me loads. But… it's worth it. I love you. I always will."

To this day, Arthur still visits Alfred's grave. Little does he know that Alfred is watching him from heaven.

"As we've walked hand in hand, till we meet again, love does not come to an end

~Unknown


End file.
